Felix Mendelssohn - Ein Sommernachtstraum (Pablo Heras-Casado)

Information

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

• Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in E Major, Op. 21
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61

Max Urlacher, narrator

RIAS Kammerchor Berlin

Freiburger Barockorchester

Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: harmonia mundi

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What a fabulous score A Midsummer Night’s Dream is! Mendelssohn’s incidental music left its mark on his contemporaries with its virtuosity, its subtle orchestration and its evocative power. Here, Pablo Heras-Casado, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin present the music absolutely complete, flanked by Max Urlacher as a wonderfully ebullient narrator. Their historically informed interpretation offers a delightful plunge into this world of dreams and enchantment.

Felix Mendelssohn composed incidental music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to accompany a production at the Prussian royal court in 1843. Inspired by the play in his youth, Mendelssohn had written a popular concert overture in 1827 at just 17 years old. At the request of King Frederick William IV, he expanded on this work with 14 additional short pieces, premiering with the play on October 14, 1843. These include the famous “Wedding March,” along with a fairy lullaby, scherzo, nocturne, and clowns’ dance. The music beautifully evokes the magical and whimsical spirit of Shakespeare’s comedy.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz